Batting

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Quinnipiac University baseball team lost to the University of Hartford, 11-5, in a non-conference match-up at Fiondella Field in West Hartford, Conn. With the loss, Quinnipiac drops to 6-28 overall while Hartford improves to 9-25 on the season.

Forrest Dwyer (Wakefield, R.I.) was 2-for-4 with a run scored while Chris Caldari (Plainview, R.I.) drove in two runs. Gabe Guerino (Orange, Conn.) was 1-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored while Brian Ruditys (Boothwyn, Pa.) and Jesse Ullrich (Orange, Conn.) also drove in runs. Matthew Lorenzetti (Marlboro, N.J.) pitched five strong innings, holding Hartford to three runs, two earned, on five hits in five innings pitched. Lorenzetti left the game with Quinnipiac leading, 5-3. Quinnipiac gave up eight runs down the stretch, only one of which was earned as the Bobcats committed four errors in Hartford's final three at-bats.

Hartford took an early lead when Brian Estevez doubled with one out in the second inning. Rob Meerman followed with a single to center field, that scored Estevez, before moving to second on a fielding error by Quinnipiac's center fielder.

In the fifth, Hartford starting pitcher Zach Ferris walked Nic Civale (East Windsor, Conn.) with one out. Forrest Dwyer (Wakefield, R.I.) then sent a 1-and-1 fastball on the outside part of the plate down the right field line, allowing Civale to move to third. After Ferris walked Scott Donaghue (Marlboro, N.J.) to load the bases, Chris Caldari (Plainview, N.Y.) hit a towering drive to right-center field that was deep enough to allow Civale to score and tie the game, 1-1. After a wild pitch by Ferris allowed Donaghue and Dwyer to move over to second and third, Ferris walked Brian Ruditys (Boothwyn, Pa.) to load the bases. Alex Fiste came on in relief and walked Jesse Ullrich (Orange, Conn.) to force Dwyer home to give Quinnipiac a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Trey Stover turned on the first pitch by Lorenzetti and blasted a shot off of the scoreboard in left-center field to tie the game, 2-2. James Alfonso followed with a line drive by a diving Civale at third, sending the ball down the left field line for a double. Brian Hunter then hit a high flyball down the right field line that was caught, and proved deep enough to move Alfonso to third with one out. With the infield playing in to protect the run, Andy Drexel smoked a ground ball towards the right side of the infield that second baseman Dwyer made a diving stop, but his throw drew first baseman Vin Guglietti (East Haven, Conn.) off the bag. Lorenzetti then struck-out Drexel before he was called for a balk, allowing Alfonso to score the go-ahead run and give Hartford a 3-2 lead.

In the sixth, Kyle Nisson (Wallingford, Conn.) walked to lead off the inning before Gabe Guerino (Orange, Conn.) doubled the opposite way, dropping in a deep fly ball to the left-center field gap for a double. With the ball stopped at the fence, Nisson motored around the bases to score from first and tie the game, 3-3.

After Fiste walked Civale, he was lifted in favor of Freddy Andujar. Dwyer dropped down a picture-perfect bunt down the third base line and beat the throw by Andujar to load the bases. Donaghue hit a high fly ball to no-man's-land in the area behind second base in right-center field that Merrman made and incredible diving catching on for the first out in the inning. Andujar then walked Caldari to force Guerino home and give Quinnipiac a 4-3 lead. Ruditys then hit a sharp ground ball deep in the hole that was unplayable, allowing Civale to score, and give Quinnipiac a 5-3 lead before Ullrich ground into a double play to end the inning.

In the sixth, George Dummar (Branford, Conn.) took the mound in relief of Lorenzetti, who pitched five strong innings in which he held Hartford to three runs – two earned – on five hits while striking out three. Dummar induced a ground ball by Merrman to third that Civale made a diving stop on, but his throw to the bag was a tick late, giving Merrman a single. Merrman then moved to second base when Dummar was called for a balk before Pat Knauth dropped down a bunt to Dummar. Dummar's throw was off-line to first, allowing Knauth to reach as Merrman scored to move Hartford to within a run, 5-4. Dummar then got Alfonso and Hunter to ground-out to end the inning.

In the seventh, Hartford loaded the bases when Dummar walked Drexel before hitting Brady Sheetz with a pitch. Alex Bulger then reached on a throwing error by Quinnipiac's third baseman before Dummar walking Estevez and force in Drexel to tie the score, 5-5. The walk ended Dummar's afternoon, who was lifted in favor of Kevin O'Connell (Glastonbury, Conn.). O'Connell retired Merrman on an infield fly, before Knauth dropped a bunt down the first base line, allowing Sheetz to score, as Hartford re-took the lead, 6-5. The Hawks added two more runs, to take a three-run lead, 8-5, on a two-RBI single by Stover on a chopper up the middle. Stover scored on a ground-rule double down the right field line by Alfonso to give Hartford a 9-5 lead. Alfonso then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball to make the score, 10-5. Gooley then replaced O'Connell with Matt DeRosa (Monroe, Conn.). DeRosa needed one pitch to retire DeRosa who lined out to right field. Hartford added on unearned run in the bottom of the eighth to take an 11-5 lead.

Quinnipiac returns home this weekend when it hosts Bryant for a four-game Northeast Conference series on April 20-22.